1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suspension apparatus.
2. Related Art
A leaf spring is used in suspension apparatuses in automobiles and is particularly used for those of large automobiles. Each front end and rear end of the leaf spring is rotatably supported by the frame of a car, and the intermediate portion in a longitudinal direction is connected to an axle. In suspension apparatuses using the leaf spring having this structure, a means for ensuring safety in a case in which the leaf spring is broken has been proposed in anticipation of such a situation (for example, see Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 6473986).
In a suspension apparatus disclosed in the gazette, a round portion in side view (hereinafter referred as an “eye”) is formed at the front end of the leaf spring. One end of a belt-like member made of a thin plate such as a stainless steel plate is engaged to a bush inserted into the eye, and another end thereof is fixed to a portion in the vicinity of an axle. Therefore, when a portion of the leaf spring is broken between the eye formed at the front side and the portion in the vicinity of the axle, rearward movement of the portion fixed to the axle is avoided by the belt-like member, so that direct advance of the car can be maintained.